Being Busy Doesn’t Equal Progress
Mindsets to identify and lean toward impactful change, a beautiful trans documentary, Black influence in tech, and LGBTQIA2S+
Hi friend,
Even after years of advocacy work, I forget how busy May (AAPI heritage month) and June (pride month) get with speaking engagements and community organizing. As I’m juggling everything on my plate (organizations, this newsletter, social media, etc.), I’m faced with the limitations of time — there’s only so much time in the day for work before the next day begins.
A few painful truths emerged:
Not all activities are made equal: some really progressed my projects, while others simply filled my calendar.
Just because I can do it doesn’t mean I should: to grow organizations, projects, and teams to their fullest potential, there has to be a letting go of work to invite in other experts and support.
I’m not infinitely scalable: along the lines of growing orgs, projects, and teams, the more I can uncouple myself, the more scaffolding I give to growth.
#1 especially rings true — while my calendar was full of activities, some projects didn’t gain much momentum after months (and years) of work. One year, I did 36 talks & conferences with very little coming out of them.
Was I busy? Yes!
Was it impactful? Quite subjective.
This reminds me of the Pareto Principle, where the top 20% make the most impact. To focus on the top 20% with profound returns, I’ve been working on a few things:
Being more honest with myself: bring unafraid to time track both my personal & work schedule in Toggl for honest future reflections on my time.
Being open to change: not just doubling down when something wasn’t working (it’s rarely about just spending more time on something), but being open to changing my own workflow and ways of thinking around it.
Being open to imperfection: perfection is both nonexistent and subjective, nor will we ever truly have time to do things completely perfectly. Opening up to imperfection means being in the flow of the work vs. being so focused on the destination of the work itself.
Hopefully, with these mindful approaches, work will be more strategic and flow with ease.
Does this topic resonate with you?
For our community
For queer Asians: Thu, Jul 20 - Yellow Glitter Sparkles (Virtual)
For queer meditators: Wed, Aug 30 - Queer Sangha (Virtual)
Something to watch
Highly recommend checking out The Stroll on Max (formerly HBO Max), which follows the stories of trans women in the meatpacking district of NYC. From regular incarceration to public murders, this is an essential watch for anyone wanting to learn more about trans experiences.
Also, cheers to HBO for putting a Black trans woman at the helm of this documentary. You can feel the difference in storytelling that truly centers Black & trans experiences.
Something to read
A long but essential read of Black experiences and influence in tech: Black Software by Charlton D. McIlwain. From early online message boards and social networks to international community organizing, Black communities have been an integral piece of tech.
Something to learn
Something to Learn Pride continues as we evolve our language in how we address and make our queer community more inclusive. Our community has been starting to include two-spirit folx within our acronym: LGBTQIA2S+ (standing for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, two-spirit).
Note: community acronyms are never truly “final,” as we’re always exploring ways of honoring and uplifting different communities. From POC / BIPOC to AAPI / AANHPI, different acronyms give power to various community dynamics. As a part of my own personal growth, I’ve stopped policing these terms and recognized:
There is no perfect as our dictions & society evolve
The more we learn, the more we can use the power of our diction to be more inviting and inclusive of those around us.
As always, thanks for reading!
P.S. If you enjoyed this, share or sign up here: mindfulmoments.substack.com
Anything else? You can always hit "reply" to email me directly. 💌
Have a beautiful day!
Metta (loving-kindness),
Steven
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